Covid-19: unprecedented decline in life expectancy since World War II
The Covid-19 pandemic has reduced life expectancy for 2019-2021 in several countries, according to a study conducted by the Leverhulme Centre, Oxford, UK, and the Max Planck Institute, Rostock, Germany. The study covers 27 European countries as well as the United States and Chile.
The report finds that this phenomenon is more pronounced in Central and Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, the drop in longevity has reached a level that has not been recorded since World War II.
Bulgaria is the most severely affected country, with a 43-month decline in life expectancy. In contrast, in Norway, the population has gained 1.7 months, thanks to an efficient health system and early vaccination campaigns.
José Manuel Aburto, co-author of the study, mentioned that in some countries that were not included in the study for data reliability reasons, the decline in longevity exceeded that observed in Bulgaria. This is the case in Brazil and Mexico.
| Country | Evolution of life expectancy 2019-2021* | Country | Evolution of life expectancy 2019-2021* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | -43 | Portugal | -7,6 |
| Slovakia | -33,1 | Spain | -7,4 |
| United States | -28,2 | Italy | -7,4 |
| Poland | -26,6 | The Netherlands | -7,4 |
| Lithuania | -25,7 | Slovenia | -7,3 |
| Hungary | -24,6 | Germany | -5,7 |
| Estonia | -23,2 | Iceland | -2,1 |
| Czech Republic | -21,9 | Belgium | -1,2 |
| Chile | -21,1 | France | -1,2 |
| Croatia | -21 | Switzerland | -0,5 |
| Greece | -15,5 | Denmark | -0,4 |
| Scotland | -9,6 | Finland | -0,3 |
| Northern Ireland | -9,5 | Sweden | -0,1 |
| England and Wales | -9,3 | Norway | +1,7 |
| Austria | -7,6 |
* in month
